Which California public or CSU MFT program should I compare?
Published cost, admissions, schedule and practicum evidence
Public programs
Compare California's public and CSU MFT-qualifying programs, including published cost, admissions facts, schedule and practicum evidence.
How to use this list
Public tuition can be lower, but seat supply and program structure vary. Treat missing total cost, cohort size and placement outcomes as admissions questions.
Every school name opens a complete profile with sources, conflicts, student reality and unanswered questions.
16 programs
Cal Poly Humboldt
M.A. in Psychology: Counseling (Counseling Psychology, M.A.) · Arcata
FormatNot published
LengthNot published
Published tuitionNot published
Practicum placementplaced
Direct clinical hoursA minimum of 150 hours of direct (face-to-face) counseling experience with clients and 75 hours of advocacy and support must be earned prior to graduation.
Direct clinical hoursPracticum: 40 hours of clinical service (15 individual, 15 couple/family, 10 group) plus 40 hours observation. Traineeship: 150 hours per term on site, at least 60 of which must be face-to-face counseling.
FormatIn-person full-time cohort, classes 1pm-10pm Mon-Thu, fall entry only
Length3 years, full-time cohort
Published tuitionNot published
Practicum placementnot published
Direct clinical hoursA minimum of 150 hours of face-to-face experience counseling individuals, couples, families, or groups must be acquired during traineeship (3rd year of the CPSY program). Additionally, during the 2nd and 3rd years of the program, the student must acquire 75 hours of client-centered advocacy or face-to-face experience counseling individuals, couples, families, or groups.
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State)
M.S. in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling · Fresno
FormatOn-campus + clinic
Length5 semesters
Published tuitionNot published
Practicum placementstudent-sourced
Direct clinical hoursThe student must complete 300 hours of approved fieldwork hours per semester for a total of 600 hours. ... 300 of the 600 hours must include providing direct face-to-face counseling services and is required to complete a minimum of 10 hours of experience leading groups.
M.S. in Counseling Psychology (formerly Marriage and Family Therapy) · Long Beach
FormatHybrid — in-person + synchronous online; not fully online. Late afternoon/evening M–Th, some weekend sessions
Length2-year or 2.5-year tracks
Published tuitionNot published
Practicum placementnot published
Direct clinical hours150 hours of a combined off-site and on-site Practicum (COUN 609) experiences in addition to 350 off-site Fieldwork hours (COUN 643D & 644D)
Direct clinical hours600 Hours Fieldwork Requirement = Minimum of 500 Clinical Hours and 100 Supervision Hours ... 100+ Relational Hours (100 minimum) ... 100 Alternative Hours (100 maximum) ... Must include 50 hours of live supervision
M.S. in Counseling: Concentration in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling · San Francisco
FormatIn-person
LengthPublished 2-year and 3-year roadmaps; department-reported average time to degree is 2.9 years (range 2–7).
Published tuitionNot published
Practicum placementassisted
Direct clinical hoursStudents must put in a minimum of 700 hours of field placement for each specialization, with at least 280 hours of direct client contact.
This page is generated from the same 78-program California registry as the statewide directory. Inclusion is rule-based, not paid. Cost appears only when a school publishes tuition; a per-unit estimate multiplies the published rate by the published degree units and excludes fees. “Not published” means the reviewed public sources did not establish the answer.
You should not have to work this part out on your own.
Once a month: free tools and apps worth having, better ways to run the admin side of a practice, what other California therapists are actually doing, and anything new here that might save you an afternoon.